Afzal Khan

Afzal Khan is a contemporary Urdu poet who has emerged from Bahawalpur, a historic city in the Punjab province of Pakistan known for its rich cultural and literary heritage. Born on 10 October 1975, he grew up in an environment where the rhythm of traditional Urdu poetry still resonated, but where new social realities were shaping the language and themes of verse. This backdrop gave him both a reverence for the classics and an urge to speak in a more modern voice. Unlike the older generation of poets who were trained almost entirely in the Persianate tradition, Afzal Khan belongs to a generation for whom newspapers, popular media, and changing social structures became as influential as the old masters.

His first collection, Tu Bhi Main Bhi, appeared in 2001 and immediately marked him out as a poet interested in everyday experience as well as emotional nuance. He chose to work primarily in the ghazal form but with a leaner, more conversational diction than is often associated with that genre. This approach has helped him reach younger readers who appreciate the beauty of classical meters but prefer a direct, accessible style. Many of his couplets capture fleeting human emotions, love, loss, alienation, and small moments of insight, without the heavy ornamentation of older poetry. This balance of form and clarity is one reason his verses are frequently quoted on social media and at contemporary mushairas.

Afzal Khan’s writing also shows an awareness of the social and cultural shifts that have taken place in Pakistan over the past few decades. While his poems are personal and lyrical, they hint at broader issues of identity, belonging, and change. Readers find in his work a reflection of their own mixed experience of tradition and modernity. Living and writing in Bahawalpur, he has remained connected to the literary circuits of Lahore, Karachi, and other centers, yet he retains a strong sense of place and roots. Today, Afzal Khan stands as a voice of modern Urdu poetry—someone who honours its forms while infusing them with a fresh tone suited to contemporary life.